Communicating with Council & Committees of Council
The Municipality values citizen and stakeholder views and encourages all citizens to share these with Council and Committees of Council in a respectful and open manner. Opinions and concerns can be communicated through the following channels.
Is Your Concern…A Customer Service Request? OR A Matter For Council? – Poster
Informal Channels
Members of Council can be contacted by e-mail and phone and by mail sent to:
The Municipality of Hastings Highlands, P.O. Box 130, Maynooth, ON K0L 2S0
*Communications shared through these informal channels are NOT a matter of public record and will not appear as part of the Municipal Agenda.
Formal Channels
Communications shared through formal channels are matter of public record, and will appear on the Municipality’s Agenda subject to meeting the requirements as listed in the Municipality’s Procedure Bylaw (2021-018) and at the discretion of the Municipal Clerk.
The formal channels available for matters to appear before Council/Committees are as follows:
- Delegations/Presentations
- Correspondence
- Public Input
Delegations/Presentations
Delegates will have the opportunity to complete their delegation in person or by Zoom. If your delegation request is approved and you choose to attend by Zoom you will be sent the invitation link to the Zoom meeting on the Monday, the week of the meeting. Meetings are held in Council Chambers located in the Municipal Office building at 33011 Hwy 62, Maynooth, ON.
Delegations are opportunities for members of the public to make brief presentations to Council or a Committee of Council about your issue. The time limit is 10 minutes.
Presentations are reserved for when Council/Committee has invited a person/group/organization etc. to appear before Council or a Committee of Council. The time limit is 15 minutes, unless prearrangements have been made with the Clerk for an organization that has requested more time due to the nature of the subject matter eg. Algonquin Land Claim review.
To speak as a delegation at a Council or Committee meeting please complete the form below by the appropriate deadline noted in the FAQ section.
Anyone wishing to make a delegation to Council is required to complete a “Request For a Delegation Form” form and submit it to the Municipal Clerk, who will advise the date and time to make the delegation. Applications must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. on the Monday the week prior to the Council Meeting, (approx. 9 days prior) along with any documentation or speaking notes for inclusion in the distributed Council agenda.
Request for a Delegation Form
Please contact the Municipal Clerk at 613-338-2811 ext. 277 [email protected]
How do I make a delegation?
You need to fill out the form titled Request for Presentation or the form titled Request for Delegation or Petition available on our website at www.hastingshighlands.ca under Municipal> Council/Committees. You need to fill in your name, the reason you wish to attend and any background information along with contact information. If your submission is vague, you will be contacted for clarification. If you do not provided sufficient information or refuse to disclose the reason for your delegation you will not be permitted to appear as a delegation.
Any printed material or your script for reading to Council must be included in the Council Agenda package, which you will submit before the deadline.
No printed material may be distributed, by the delegation, on the Council floor. Delegates must keep to the subject matter that has been approved for their delegation or they will be asked to remain on-topic.
What is the deadline for a delegation request?
You must submit your request to appear before Council in writing by 4pm on the Monday preceding the week of the Council Meeting. (Nine days prior to the Council meeting you would like to appear on). The request is to be directed to the Municipal Clerk at the Municipal office.
If you are placed on the agenda, you will be contacted to confirm a meeting date to appear. If your request is received after the deadline or if there are already two (2) delegations or presentations scheduled, your request will be placed on the next regular Council agenda, if available.
My issue is urgent, why can’t I be put on the agenda tomorrow?
The Procedure Bylaw 2020-007 requires this notice period. Council also needs to know what your reasons for attending are and staff need to be provided with time to generate background information. To meet the requirements for accountability and openness, sufficient notice needs to be provided so that members of the public are aware of what will be discussed at the meeting.
Who is in charge at the meeting and who will be there?
The Council meeting is an open meeting and any members of the public are welcome to listen to the meeting live-streamed on our YouTube channel. You will be making your delegation/presentation to Council which is composed of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Five (5) Council members. Senior staff members will also be in attendance along with the CAO and Municipal Clerk. All comments are to be directed to the Mayor who is the head of Council. The Mayor has control of the meeting and if comments are made which are rude, insulting or grossly inappropriate you will be requested to cease this behaviour. If this behaviour continues, you will be requested to leave the teleconference.
How long do I have to speak?
Delegations are limited to ten (10) minutes and Presentations are limited to fifteen (15) minutes inclusive of both speakers in your group. Please provide the material in advance to the Municipal Clerk. [email protected] This will be placed in the Council meeting agenda.
Are there a maximum number of delegations?
Delegations are limited to two (2) speakers unless approved by the Clerk and only those persons listed on the Agenda will be permitted to speak.
Can a group attend as a delegation?
Your group can request to attend as a delegation, but only two (2) members are permitted to speak to the issue unless approved by the Clerk. The ten (10) minute limit applies to groups as well as individuals.
Where do I present from?
Right now, due to Covid-19 all delegations, presentations and petitions are given by Remote Teleconference. You will be provided with a telephone number and code to enter the meeting by telephone.
I have a short video on my group that I want to show, can it be presented?
You are permitted to show a video or provide a slide presentation as long as it does not exceed the time limits on delegations or presentations. If you require equipment or set-up, please note this in your request form.
What if I am denied a delegation?
Requests for Delegation from delegates that have previously addressed Council on a topic already dealt with or have been deemed a decided topic within the Council Term shall not be granted, unless they can prove that they have new information not previously presented to Council.
I am really upset about an issue and want Council to answer my questions and resolve the issue on the spot. Will this happen at the meeting?
The purpose of the delegation is to provide information to Council. Council will consider or look into your matter and may ask staff to bring back a report so that they can make an informed decision.
I presented my issue at Council but I would like to come back again on the same issue. Is this a problem?
You cannot come back to Council to speak on the same issue within the council-term.
Petitions
A petition is a document presented by the community to Council to voice their opinion on an issue of municipal importance. It is one of the best ways to express support of a matter to Council, however petition organizers should be diligent to fulfill the petition requirements to ensure their petition is considered valid before Council.
Petition Requirements
Petitions must contain:
- at least 25 original signatures
- the ‘petition request’ at the top of each page of signatures
- no electronic web-based documents
- contact information for each signer
- contact information for the organizer of the petition
Using the Petition Template prepared by the Clerk’s Office is a good way to ensure your petition contains everything required.
The Clerk will refuse to put a petition on the agenda where the petition request:
- involves current or pending litigation;
- involves insurance claims;
- involves administrative complaints that have not been reported and investigated through the administrative process;
- is beyond the jurisdiction of Council; or
- is contrary to the provisions of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
Petiton Instructions and Template
Petition Template (PDF/Fillable)
Petition Template (Word Document)
Petition Procedure
Petitions are to be delivered to the Clerk’s Office ([email protected]) or 33011 Hwy 62N, Maynooth) by 4:00 p.m. on the day that is 9 days prior to the scheduled Council Meeting. This ensures Clerk’s Department has enough time to place it on the agenda, and to ensure the validity of the petition. Late petitions will be placed on the next available Council meeting, with few exceptions.
Correspondence
Correspondence Includes but is not limited to the following: Letter, memorandum, report, notice, electronic mail, facsimile, petition, brochure, media release, newspaper/magazine article, etc. The agenda may, at the request of the writer, include those pieces of external correspondence addressed to Council/Committee, the Mayor, the Clerk or any other staff member that are intended to be brought to the formal attention of the Council, and may be received for information. All correspondence will be approved and placed on the Agenda at the discretion of the Clerk, in consideration of correspondence requirements and items accepted. There will be no expectation/requirement for Council/Committee to comment on, or answer questions contained in correspondence items. Furthermore, the Council/Committee’s receipt of correspondence does not constitute endorsement of the correspondence by the Municipality of any recommendations it may contain or actions it may advocate.
Correspondence Requirements
- Correspondence shall be submitted in accordance with the timelines defined below;
- Correspondence must be legible and in an accessible electronic format, where able;
- Correspondence that has been sent to Council and is intended to appear on an upcoming agenda shall be forwarded by the writer to the Clerk at [email protected] for consideration.
Submission Deadline(s)
- for a Regular Meeting of Council – Monday – Nine (9) days prior to the Meeting Date by Four o’clock (4:00 p.m.)*
- for a Committee Meeting of Council – Nine (9) days prior to the Meeting Date by Four o’clock (4:00 p.m.)*
- *Statutory Holiday(s) – If the Monday is a statutory holiday, then the deadline will be the previous Friday. If that Friday is also a statutory holiday, as in the case with Good Friday, then the deadline is the Thursday before Good Friday.
Please review Section 12.3.21.2 ‘Correspondence – Items Not Placed on the Agenda’ in the Municipality’s Procedure Bylaw for occasions when correspondence is not placed on the Agenda.
Public Comment Period
Members of the public may comment or ask questions to Council or Committee, through the Chair, without debate or criticism in regards to a staff report, Council or Committee report or bylaw listed on the agenda. These comments or questions may be sent in writing to the attention of the Municipal Clerk before or during a meeting and will be received by Council. In consideration of time restraints, electronic comments should be limited to 250 words. Should technology permit, the public can provide verbal comments or questions via Zoom. There will be no expectation/requirement for Council or Committee to reply to each comment or question. This portion of the Agenda should not exceed a total of Fifteen (15) minutes. Questions and Comments cannot be recorded in the minutes as per the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001 c. 25, Section 228 (1)(a).